White Tree of Gondor
]] The White Tree of Gondor was the symbol of the realm of Gondor. While there were several trees referred to as the "White Tree," the best-known of these grew in the Court of the Fountain at Minas Tirith. The White Tree was also the motif of Gondor's flag. Description This iconic tree was in appearance a tall spacious tree of graceful form, white thin unwrinkled bark over white wood. In spring it bore numerous white flowers, but few of these ever fructified; what shape the fruit was is never described, nor was it considered to be edible. The leaves were laurel-like, dark green above and bright silver beneath. It was fashioned in the image of Telperion, elder of the Two Trees of Valinor, originally. This image was given to the Elves of Kortirion in Valinor and named Galathilion. From it a sapling was taken to Tol Eressëa, named Celeborn. This in turn sired the tree Nimloth of Númenor, felled by Sauron and burned on the altars.The Silmarillion, Akallabêth History First White Tree The first White Tree of Gondor came from a fruit that Isildur stole from Nimloth the Fair, the White Tree of Númenor, before Nimloth was destroyed at Sauron's insistence. Isildur brought the sapling to Middle-earth and eventually planted it in Minas Ithil before his house. But when Sauron returned to Middle-earth, he attacked and captured Minas Ithil, destroying the White Tree. Isildur escaped, again taking a sapling with him.The Silmarillion, Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age Second White Tree While in Minas Anor instructing his nephew Meneldil in rulership, Isildur planted a sapling of the White Tree in memory of his brother, Anárion.The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book Two, Ch. II: "The Council of Elrond" This White Tree stood until TA 1636, when the Great Plague spread across Gondor. Third White Tree A third sapling was planted in TA 1640 by King Tarondor, which lasted until the year 2852 and the death of the Ruling Steward Belecthor II. At this, time no seedling of the tree was found or planted, and the dead tree was left standing "until the King returns."The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers, I: The Númenórean Kings, (iv): "Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion", The Stewards Fourth White Tree Following his coronation as King of Gondor, Aragorn was taken by Gandalf to the slopes of Mindolluin. There, Aragorn found a sapling of the White Tree. The dead tree was removed from the court and placed in the Tombs of the Kings, and Aragorn planted the sapling in its place. In June of TA 3019, the tree bloomed.The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book Six, Ch. V: "The Steward and the King" Portrayal in adaptations The Lord of the Rings film trilogy The finding of the sapling is not seen in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). In the film, the previously dead tree is shown to be flowering again during the Siege of Gondor and the imminent arrival of Aragorn on the Black Ships. Translations References de:Weißer Baum es:Árbol Blanco it:Albero Bianco di Gondor pl:Białe Drzewo ru:Белое Древо Category:Trees Category:Minas Tirith Category:Symbols